Trent's Last Case

ible talent and a habit of leisurely but continuous working, broken by fits of strong creative enthusiasm, were at the bottom of it. His father's name had helped; a patrimony large en

cess was internal; no one felt on good behaviour with a man who seemed always to be enjoying himself. Whether he was in a mood for floods of nonsense or applying himself vigorously to a task, his face seldom lost its exp

under arrest upon suspicion. Trent, to whom an interest in such affairs was a new sensation, heard the thing discussed among his friends, and set himself in a purposeless mood to read up the accounts given in several journals. He became intrigued; his imagination began to work, in a manner strange to him, upon fa

nificance of certain apparently negligible facts, and ranged the evidence in such a manner as to throw grave suspicion upon a man who had presented himself as a witne

ve tact which had the effect of almost abolishing differences of age between himself and others. The great rotary presses in the basement of the Record buildin

ent to an emollient dinner, and thereafter offered him what seemed to the young man a fantast

d I can teach you all the technicalities of a reporter's job in half an hour. And you have a head for a my

nced himself that the only thing that held him back was fear of an unfamiliar task. To react

alary. But in the course of a few years he had applied to him perhaps thirty times for his services in the unravelling of similar problems at home and abroad. Sometimes Trent, busy with work that held him, had refused; sometimes he had been forestalled in the discovery of the truth. But the result of his irregular connecti

*

ention, had spoken even more emphatically of her goodness. Not an artist in words, the manager had yet conveyed a very definite idea to Trent's mind. 'There isn't a child about here that don't brighten up at the sound of her voice,' he had said, 'nor yet a grown-up, for the matter of that. Everybody used to look forward to her coming over in the su

ed fantastic; it lay so quiet and well ordered, so eloquent of disciplined service and gentle living. Yet there beyond the house, and near the hedge that rose between the garden and the hot, white road, stood the gardener's toolshed, by which the body had been found, lying tumbled against the wooden wall, Trent walked past the gate of the drive and along the road until he was opposite this shed. Some forty yards further along the road turned sharply away from the house, to run between thick plantations; and just before the turn the grounds of the house ended, with a small white gate at the angle of the boundary hedge. He approached the g

trodden appearance of the uncut grass where the body had lain. Crouching low, with keen eyes an

g of the front door. Trent unbent his long legs and stepped to the edge of the driv

t the haggard blue eyes, for all their tale of strain and desperate fatigue. As the two approached each other, Trent noted with admiration the man's breadth of shoulder and lithe, strong figure. In his carriage, inelastic as weariness had made it;

leasantly, 'you are expected. Mr. Cupples te

liar glory of his social type at his years. But there was something in the tired eyes that was a challenge to Trent's penetration; an habitual expression, as he took it to be, of meditating and weighing things not present to their sight. It w

ment now, Mr. Trent, down at the doctor's-arranging about the inquest. I expect it'll be tomorrow. If you will go up to the house and ask for Mr. Bunner, you'll find him expecting you; he will tell you all ab

and I are old friends. How under

g everybody, and he's been about here since eight this morning. He's in the library now-that's where the open French w

otsteps as noiseless as a cat's. In a few moments he was looking in through the open leaves of the window at the southward end of the house, considering w

tartling swiftness. 'From childhood's hour I've seen my fondest hopes decay. I did think I was ahead of Scotland Y

indow. 'I was expecting you, Mr. Trent,' he s

l about it.' His eyes began to wander round the room. 'How did you manage it? You are a quick mover, I know; the dun deer's hide on fleeter foot was never tied; but I don't see how you got here in time to

, which is only twelve miles or so along the coast. As soon as our people there heard of the murder they told me. I wired

said Trent inattentively, '

ou'll excuse me saying, Mr. Trent, that you needn't trouble to talk your nonsense to me while you're using your eyes. I know your wa

're not inclined for the social amenities just now, let us leave compliments and talk business.' He stepped to the table, glanced through the papers arranged there in order,

man's delight to adorn his experience. The inspector would talk more freely to him than to any one, under the rose, and they would discuss details and possibilities of every case, to their mutual enlightenment. There were necessarily rules and limits. It was understood between them that Trent made no journalistic use of any point that could only have come to him from an official source. Each of them, moreover, for the honour and prestige of the institution he represented, openly reserved the right to withhold from the other any discovery or inspiration that might come to him which h

Leaning on either side of the French window, with the deep peace and ha

*

ure touches, a rough sketch plan of the room. It was a thing he did habitually on such oc

against the wall beyond the door, and another cupboard filled a recess beside the fireplace. Some coloured prints of Harunobu, with which Trent promised himself a better acquaintance, hung on what little wall-space was unoccupied by books. These had a very uninspiring appearance of having been bought by the yard and never taken from their shelves. Bound with a sober luxury, the great English novelists, essayists, historians, and

y?' enquired

d the place where

's not the slightest trace of any attempt at burglary. And the body wasn't robbed. In fact, it would be as plain a case of suicide as you could wish to see, if it wasn't for certain facts. Here's another thing: for a month or so past, they tell me, Manderson had been in a queer state of mind. I expect you know already that he and his wife had some trouble between them. The servants had noticed a change in his manner to her fo

stone's throw of where the body lay. Second, the marks on the wrists, fresh scratches and bruises, which we can only assume to have been done in a struggle with somebody. Third, who ever heard of anybody shooting himself in the eye? Then I heard from the manager of the hote

trength of the other points, which had occurred to me, I am not considering suicide. I have been

pect. I suspect Mrs. Manderson, of course. I also suspect both the secretaries-I hear there are two, and I hardly know which of them I regard as more thoroughly open to suspicion. I suspect the butler and the lady's maid. I suspect the

ever, I've seen enough of the people here, last night and today, to put a few of them out of my mind for the present at least. You will form your own conclusions.

ter figure, the gardener. You are keeping him in the background, Murch

e village, who comes twice a week. I've t

t a little in this room, where I am told Manderson spent a great deal of his time, and in his bedroom; especially the bedroom. But si

xcept for the clothes and shoes. You'll find it all exactly as I found it; and they tell me that's exactly as Manderson left it, at we don't know what o'clock yesterday morning. Opens into Mrs. Manderson's bedroom-not much of the cell about that, I can tell you. I should say the lady was

ial voice. I wish I had seen her. Either you've got something against her and you don't want me to get hold of it; or else you've made up your mind she's innocent, but have no objection to my w

he spent indoors here. Since he and his wife ceased to hit it off together, he had taken to spending his evenings alone, and

w turned-he's been through this desk with me this morning. He had got it into his head that Manderson had been receiving threatening letters, and that the murder was the outcome of that. But there's no trace of any such thing; and we looked at every blessed paper. The only unusual things we found we

w outside; a nice-looking chap with singular eyes, unquestionably English. The ot

ng of it. His job was to look after Manderson's horses and motors and yacht and sporting arrangements and that-make himself generally useful, as you might say. He had the spending of a lot of money, I should think. T

nly they say that Manderson's were exclusively of an innocent kind. Certainly Marlowe gives me the impression that he would be weak in the part of Petronius. But t

artin by name, last saw him in this room. I had his story last night, and very glad h

bore you to hear what he has to say again?' he asked at length. For reply, Mr. Murch rang the bell. A spa

ined the detective. 'He would like to hear your story.' Martin bowed distantly. He recognized Trent for

e spoke with a slow and measured utterance. 'My instructions are to assist you in e

was making clamorous appeal to his sense of comedy. He banis

aw Mr. Ma

Tell me all you saw of him that evening-after di

e back entrance. He said, as near as I can remember, "If Harris is there, every minute is of importance. You want to start right away. And not a word to a soul." Mr. Marlowe answered, "Very well. I will just change out of these clothes and then I am ready"-or words to that effect. I heard this plai

urious,' re

d about "not a word to a soul", and I concluded that

ime was

Manderson waited until Mr. Marlowe had come down and brought round th

trike you a

enter that room since we came here this year. He preferred to sit in the library in the evenings. That ev

w them

ook the direction

Mr. Manderson

en about a quarter past eleven, I should say; I had noticed eleven str

for you, I suppose. Yes? And wh

of whisky and a syphon and glass, sir,

id Mr. Manderson drink very much? You understand this is not impertinent curiosity on my

before going to bed. He never seemed to form a habit of it. Often I used to find his glass in the morning with only a little soda water in it; sometimes he would have been having whisky with it, but never much. He never was particular about his drinks; ordinary soda was what he preferred, though I had ventured to suggest some of the natural minerals, having personally acquired a taste for them in my previous

ight about a quarter past eleven. Now

e then said that he wanted some one to sit up until 12.30, in case an important message should come by telephone, and that Mr. Marlowe having gone to Southampton for him in the m

ing unusual about

e telephone, waiting for a number, as I supposed. He gave his orders and went on listening at

anything of wha

I was only in the room just time enough to place the syphon on the table and withdraw. As I

last you saw and h

ajar, and a book to pass the time, I heard Mr. Manderson go upstairs to bed. I immediately went

at all,' he said tentatively, 'while you were

a bad sleeper, especially in the neighbourhood of the sea,

any messa

, s

sleep with your window

r closed at

se he had taken. He rose and paced up and down the room for some

just want to get a few details clear. You went to shut the

een open all day. The windows opp

ondering whether any one outside the

drawn in the hot weather. Mr. Manderson would often sit right in the doorway at nights, smoking a

heard Mr. Manderson enter the house when he came in after dinner from the

ted for a moment, then added, 'As a general rule, Mr. Manderson would come in by the front, hang up his hat and coat in the hall, and pass down the hall into the study. It seems likely to me that he was in a great hurry to use the telephone, and so went straight across the lawn to the window. H

didn't you say just now that you

e the contrary. It took me long enough to get used to it. Either he would be sitting quite still and smoking a cigar, thinking or reading, or else he would be writing, dictating, and sending off wires al

ing intelligence. Not sorry to show his understanding of the line of

hat is so, Mr. Murch.' The delicacy of the change in Martin's manner when called upon to answer the detective momen

erson often took no whisky before goi

, as usual. I know that the decanter was nearly full that evening. I had refilled it a few days before, and I gl

f cut glass and set it on the table before Martin. 'Was it fuller than that?' he asked

before his eyes, and then stared amazedly at the others. He said slowly: 'There's not much sho

never happened in all my experience of Mr. Manderson. As for the women-servants, they never touch anything, I can answer for it; and as for me, when I want a drink I can help myself without going to th

thoughtfully with his pencil. Then he looked up and said,

s-jacket, what he used to refer to as a Tuxed

ed like that when

-coloured tweed, a little too loud in pattern for English tastes, perhaps. He had it on when I saw him last. It used to hang in this cupboard here'-Martin o

inner-jacket i

id used to take it ups

e morning, will you tell me exactly what you know about that? I understand t

d he would come down some time before nine. But often he would sleep till nine or ten o'clock. Mrs. Manderson was always called at seven. The maid would take in tea to her. Yesterday morning Mrs. Manders

ay you slipped the lock of the front door before g

hese parts. But I had locked both the doors at the back, and seen to the fastenings of

think. Were the clothes in which the body was found the clo

dress. Then I found that he had put on all the same things that he had worn the night before-large fronted shirt and all-except just the coat and waistcoat and trousers, and the brown shoes, and blue tie. As for the suit, it was one of half a dozen he might have worn.

u have put everything with admirable clearness, Martin. If we want to a

posal, sir.' Martin bow

s far, far better than a play. There is none like him, none, nor will be when our summers have deceased. Stra

was taken aback. 'You know, Mr. Trent, he would never ha

ust understand, inspector, that I have made a special study of the psychology of officers of the law. It is a grossly neglected branch of knowledge. They are far more interesting than criminals, and not nearly so easy. All the time I was questioning him I saw handc

here's anything definite; but you know as well as I do how often servants are mixed up in affairs of this kind, and this man is such a very quiet customer. You remember the case of Lord William Russell's valet, who went in as usual, in the morning, to draw up the blinds in his master's bedroom, as quiet

cy. Let us get back to facts. Have you, as a matter of evidence, anyt

ere gravelly marks near the window, on this plain drugget that goes round the carpet. And there's a footprint in this soft new gravel just outside.' The inspector took a folding rule from his pocket and with it pointed out the traces. 'One of the p

lot of ground, Murch, I must say. That was excellent about the whisky; you made your poin

ere. They watch the house; see Manderson off to bed; Martin comes to shut the window, and leaves it ajar, accidentally on purpose. They wait till Martin goes to bed at twelve-thirty; then they just walk into the library, and begin to sample the whisky first thing. Now suppose Manderson isn't asleep, and suppose they make a noise opening the window, or however

gh the library, nor hears any shout from Manderson either inside the house or outside. Next: Manderson goes down without a word to anybody, though Bunner and Martin are both at hand. Next: did you ever hear, in your long experience, of a householder getting up in the night to pounce on burglars, who dressed himself fully, with und

p in that theory. I rather expect we have some way to go before we find out why a man gets up before the servants are awake

ou in your professional career. There are many things that may hasten or retard the cooling of the body. This one was lying in the long dewy grass on the shady side of the shed. As for rigidity, if Manderson died in a struggle, or labouring under sudden emotion, his corpse might stiffen practically instantaneously; there are dozens of cases noted, particularly in cases of injury to the skull, like this one. On the other hand, the stiffening might not have begun until eight or ten hours after death. You can't hang anybody on rigor mortis nowadays, inspector, much as you may resent the limitation. No, what we can say is this. If he had been shot after the hour at which the world begins to get up and go about its business, it would have been heard, and very likely seen too. In fact, we must reason,

looks,' agree

n you while I am poking about up there. But,' concluded Trent in a voice of sudden exasperation, turning round in the doorway, 'if you can tell me at any time, how under th